Sales of small MPVs in Europe are falling at accelerating pace with a 44% decline in the fourth quarter leading to a loss of 26% in 2017. With less than 225.000 sales the segment now accounts for just 1,5% of total European volume, down from 2% in 2016. With two more models being pulled out of the class, this segment will consist of just 4 models as of 2018, of which one a low-volume EV. With a 23% loss the segment leader Fiat 500L actually improves its share of the shrinking segment to 28,1% but still sells almost 20.000 fewer units. It has also become more dependent on its home market Italy, which accounts for 73,6% of its European sales in 2017. At least the 500L can claim that it’s the best seller in one country: its production home Serbia. The surprise #2 of the segment this year is the Ford B-Max with a gain of 7%. What’s surprising about this is that until last year, sales of the B-Max had been slowly declining for 4 years, and moreover production of the model ended in September 2017. The last few thousand remaining in dealer stock will be sold off in early 2018. As a result of PSA replacing the Opel/Vauxhall Meriva and Citroën C3 Picasso with crossover models, sales of these two models were also in freefall in Q4, and these two will also sell of remaining stock in early 2018. [Read more…]

Sales of small MPVs in Europe accelerate their decline in Q3 of 2017. After a 14% loss in 2016, a 10% decline in Q1, a 23% decline in Q2, the segment loses 35% in the third quarter, bringing the year-to-date figure to just over 190.000 sales, down 22% on last year as we continue to lose players in the segment. Surprisingly, one nameplate manages to improve its volume in Q2 and does so with double digits. The Ford B-Max, which has seen its sales decline every year since 2013, gains an impressive 34% in the third quarter, which makes it the best selling model in the segment for that period. However, that party won’t last too long as production of the model has ended last September. The traditional segment leader Fiat 500L is down at a similar rate as the rest of the segment and holds on to its 27% share of the segment. [Read more…]

Sales of small MPVs in Europe accelerate their decline in Q2 of 2017. After a 14% loss in 2016, a 10% decline in Q1, the segment loses 23% in the second quarter, bringing the first half figure to 146.494 sales, down 17% on last year. Surprisingly, one nameplate manages to improve its volume in Q2 and does so with double digits. The Ford B-Max, which has seen its sales decline every year since 2013, suddenly gains 15% in the second quarter, as dealers are getting rid of the remaining stock models before production is scheduled to end next September. This allows the B-Max not only to become the only model in the first half to increase its sales, but also to overtake the Opel/Vauxhall Meriva for 2nd place. The Meriva has been replaced by the crossover Opel/Vauxhall Crossland X and will also be phased out soon. As a result, segment leader Fiat 500L is likely to increase its share of this shrinking segment in the second half of the year, even though it too sees its demand fall, at a similar pace as the rest of the segment: -22% in Q2 and -18% in the half. The 500L now holds 27,6% of the segment. Three quarters of its sales come from its home market Italy, but at least it manages to be the best selling car overall in one European country: Serbia, where it is produced in the former Zastava (Yugo) factory.

The small MPV segment in Europe continues to lose volume, with another 10% decline in the first quarter of 2017, to just 78.000 sales. Every single nameplate lost volume compared to Q1 of 2016, except for the single newcomer to the segement. The traditional segment leader Fiat 500L loses share but still accounts for more than 1 in 4 cars sold in this segment. 72,5% of its volume comes from its home market Italy, the highest of the 500 family. Despite almost being replaced by the more crossover-like Crossland X, the Opel/Vauxhall Meriva manages to finish Q1 as the best performer of the segment, with sales virtually stable (down just 28 units). The Ford B-Max with its sliding rear doors is also relatively stable with a loss of “just” 8% and therefore gains share of the segment.

Sales of small MPVs continue to nosedive, as 2016 segment volume is down 12% in the fourth quarter and down 14% for the full year, barely staying above 300.000 sales. That means the entire segment sells fewer units than the Renault Clio by itself. This also makes it by far the fastest shrinking segment in Europe for the second year running. Until 2014, more than 400.000 small MPVs were consistently sold every year. Unsurprisingly, all models share the pain, with not a single nameplate growing its volume in 2016, after only one model improved in 2015. The segment leader Fiat 500L shows the slowest rate of decline at -4% and improves its share of the segment to 27% and logically remains on top of the ranking, followed by the Opel/Vauxhall Meriva, which will be replaced in 2017 by the Crossland X. This will be a more crossover-like model, co-developed with PSA which will launch a new generation Citroën C3 Picasso on the same platform. The Ford B-Max is unlikely to be replaced when it hits the end of its life cycle, but holds on to the third spot is took from the Nissan Note in the beginning of this year.

The small MPV segment in Europe is dying quickly at -15% in the first three quarters of 2016, and it may drop below 300.000 units this year, down by a third on 2013 when Europeans bought more than 450.000 small MPVs. Those customers have switched to buying small crossovers, which are more trendy and also offer a higher seating position, one of the main selling points of these cars. Not a single of the still existing models in this segment improved its sales on last year, with the Nissan Note taking the biggest hit, losing almost a quarter of its volume and the Citroën C3 Picasso performing the best at just -2%. The Fiat 500L remains the distant leader thanks to its home market Italy which buys 2 out of 3 500L’s sold in Europe. The Opel/Vauxhall Meriva and Ford B-Max complete the top-3. GM and PSA are developing the next generation Meriva and C3 Picasso together and are designing more crossover-like models to appeal to a wider audience. The Meriva will be renamed Crossland X.

Sales of small MPVs in Europe are slowing down fast, as customers are switching away from these roomy alternatives to subcompact hatchbacks in favor of the more trendy crossovers that are gaining popularity quickly. And the manufacturers are giving the people what they need: there are no new models entering the segment, and the existing models that are due to be redesigned are all switching to a more SUV-like design. All of the top-5 players in this segment also have a crossover model in their line-up and all of those are outselling their MPV counterparts, making this segment a difficult business case to spend money on developing a next generation small MPV. As a result of that, the aging segment (not only in terms of model age, but also the age of the prospective buyers) is down 15% in the first half of 2016, dipping below 200.000 sales as only one of the players in this segment sells more than it did last year, and by a tiny margin.

The demise of the small MPV segment in Europe accelerates in the first quarter of 2016, as sales plunge by 20% after a 15% drop in 2015. Just one model shows an increase in sales (with the exception of the 3 sales of the Lancia Musa, a model that ended production in 2012), and two more lose single digit volume, while 7 models show double digit declines. This is partially due to a lack of new products, but also a result of cannibalization from small crossovers, the fastest growing mainstream segment in Europe. These are similarly priced and sacrifice a bit of practicality for less awkward design. The Fiat 500L gains market share with sales down “just” 15% and is now at 26% of the segment. The Opel/Vauxhall Meriva loses just 3% even though a replacement is due later this year. That new generation is being co-developed with PSA who will market a new C3 Picasso version of that same model. And to reflect the shift of interest by consumers from MPVs to crossovers, the new Meriva and Picasso will have a more SUV-like design, similar to the current generation Peugeot 3008 and the latest version of the Renault Espace.

The small MPV segment in Europe is under stress from the small crossover segment, with sales down 60.000 units or 15% in 2015 to 354.425 sales. This is the lowest figure for the segment since 2003 when the first generation Opel/Vauxhall Meriva had just been introduced and none of the other current contenders were around yet. The pain is shared among all players with the exception of one: the facelifted Kia Venga manages to improve 13% and leapfrog the Skoda Roomster, which ended production in April and sold just a handful of remaining stock models in the last few months of the year. The Fiat 500L remains the best selling small MPV thanks to its home market Italy, which takes mroe than 58% of the total European volume. Serbia, where the 500L is produced, is the only country in the world where it’s the best selling model overall, albeit with a humble 1.819 sales.

The decline of the small MPV segment continues in Q3 of 2015, as customers flock to the increasingly popular small crossovers. So far this year, there’s only one model in the segment to improve its sales year-on-year, and that’s unsurprisingly from a brand that doesn’t (yet) offer a small crossover. Nonetheless, the Fiat 500L keeps its crown as the best selling small MPV in Europe, but has been outsold by its crossover sibling 500X in every month of Q3.

The Opel/Vauxhall Meriva follows at a distance, holding on to the second spot it took from the Nissan Note in Q2. The Note is even under fire from the Ford B-Max, the car that once led the segment before falling out of grace when newer and better alternatives appeared onto the market. However, Ford is the only brand where the small MPV outsells its crossover rival, with the Mokka-Meriva at a 3:1 ratio and the Juke-Note at 2:1, while the B-Max still outsells the Ford Ecosport. [Read more…]